Decorah

Hi folks. This past weekend, I took a trip down to Decorah for the annual Nordic Fest celebration/ad-hoc Luther get-together. As usual, it was a great time.

Someone I know made an interesting comment to me, one that has had me pondering. Referring to Decorah, this person said being there made them breathe easier, and feel freer.

Now, keep in mind, we're all Luther grads, so we all have a certain connection to the place that goes beyond just a visitor passing through. But I think this also ties in somewhat with my previous post, the one about transitions and journeys. For a Luther grad, or at least Luther grads like myself and my circle, going to Decorah is almost more of a spiritual event than your typical long weekend away. It certainly contains ritualistic elements. After all, certain things must be done. We must play frisbee golf. We must play trombone. We must stop by the co-op. A peanut butter burger must be consumed at T-Bock's.

And most importantly, above all else, we must spend an evening at La Rana, our Thursday night meeting place of countless pints and slices of crusty French bread. The place has a sort of primal draw, like whales traveling halfway across the ocean to a singular breeding ground. Except of course, we're not whales. We're folks in search of a more innocent past.

Maybe that's a little too dramatic. But that's my explanation of why Decorah retains this simple freedom and this clear air. Forever, it remains a place where we came of age, where we found out who we are, and what we valued. We discovered friends that are more akin to family. For some, we found love. For some, we found meaningful pursuits. But I think everyone found change, the meaningful sort of change.

Objectively, it's definitely a unique town. But it will always remain a special town for me, and always a welcome vacation. I wouldn't normally consider going on a trip to a fish hatchery or a biodiversity farm up here in the Cities, but it seems like a perfectly natural way to spend an afternoon in Iowa.

In any event, it was good to get out of town and see friends. It was good to breathe the country air. And of course, above all, it was good to have my Guinness on Saturday night...